Tips for Hiring an Air Duct Cleaning Service

Air duct cleaning companies use specialized tools to loosen debris and then remove it. (Photo by Eldon Lindsay)

Follow these tips to make sure you're hiring a reliable air duct cleaning service for your home.

Need to hire an aIr duct cleaning professional for your home? You may be spending several hundred dollars, and scam artists may try to convince you there's dangerous mold or health issues in your ducts to get you to spend even more money. For instance, that $49 coupon that came in the mail might end up costing you a whole lot more.

Never fear; here are some tips to ensure you're hiring a reputable air duct cleaner and not just a blow-and-go company who's trying to scam you.

Do you really need an air duct cleaning?

The National Air Duct Cleaners Association recommends getting your air ducts cleaned every three to five years. The EPA doesn't suggest a specific timeline, but recommends doing so if you have substantial mold growth, a vermin infestation or excessive amounts of dust and debris in your system.

Make sure air duct cleaners follow NADCA or EPA standards when working in your home. (Photo by Eldon Lindsay)

How much should air duct cleaning cost?

A proper air duct cleaning job will cost between $400 and $1,000, according to NADCA and the EPA. It varies quite a bit by the size of the home, but experts say to expect to pay around $500 for the average home.

Avoid the bait-and-switch scam

One of the most common scams among unscrupulous cleaners is to get their foot in the door with a $49 “whole-house” cleaning price in a coupon or mailer, then pile on many extra charges or upsell services.

Once they start talking about “extra returns” and “main lines,” you can end up paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars in unexpected fees for the “$49” cleaning. A good air duct cleaning, properly done by a certified contractor, is going to cost at least a few hundred dollars. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Many of these ads list a limit in the fine print, such as 10 vents and one main trunk line, but most homes have more than 10 vents and at least two main trunks. The extra charges get added for all these other lines. And even if you get them to do the work for the advertised price, a lot of these “blow and go” contractors just stick a vacuum over the vents and call it a day. A true air duct cleaning includes much more than that.

What should I look for in a good air duct cleaner?

Any reputable company will have this coverage and be happy to provide written proof. If they won’t do so, find another company — this one is probably unreliable, and you could be on the hook for big money if they damage your house or one of their employees is injured while on your property.

Make sure the company has been around a while and kept the same name. If a company has been around your community for years, they’re unlikely to disappear next week if you have a problem. If the air duct cleaning company popped up three weeks ago and doesn’t have an office location listed, treat them skeptically.

Ask for references, and check them. For a job that could cost as much as $1,000, it’s worth taking the time to get it right. Check out their reviews on Angie’s List as well.

Are they NADCA members?

Air duct cleaning companies who hold membership and certification in NADCA are your best bet for a reliable company.

NADCA members agree to follow the association’s code of ethics and must carry liability insurance to maintain their membership. At least one person employed by the company must have completed NADCA training and hold certification. NADCA members also agree to follow the association’s best practices, which involve addressing the entire HVAC system and not just the ductwork.

RELATED VIDEO: Avoid Air Duct Cleaning Scams

Are daily deal discounts a good thing or a rip-off?

If you hire an air duct cleaner through a daily deal that offers a significant discount, they still shouldn’t cut corners.

Experienced duct cleaners say you should expect the same level of service as if you had paid full price. Look at the fine print and make sure you know exactly what you’re getting — if the deal offers a $199 single-system air duct cleaning, make sure you know how many systems are in your home.

What happens if they find mold in my ducts?

If an air duct cleaner says they’ve found mold in your air ducts and recommends an expensive treatment to get rid of it, don’t hesitate to ask them to wait so you can get a second opinion. A reputable contractor won’t mind.

If they make a high-pressure sales pitch and insist you get the work done right away without time to think about it, and invoke scary stories of health and your family getting sick, hire someone else.

Have you hired an air duct cleaner? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

Editor's note: This is an updated version of an article originally posted on Dec. 20, 2010.

is a veteran Indianapolis writer/photographer and has been a reporter for Angie’s List since 2006, investigating lead paint, electrical work, plumbing, HVAC and the nitty-gritty details of home maintenance.

Comments

Correna | Feb 7,2012 2:10PM

To Linda- You might want to reconsider the Pine Sol part of your annual routine; Consumer Reports did a study years ago and found that Pine Sol doesn't clean anything - it just pushes the dirt around. People assume because of the scent it cleans - but it doesn't.

I started coming down with monthly sinus infections and I believe it stemmed from dirty air ducts. Out of desperation, I had my adult son assist me in cleaning the duct work by removing all the vents and cleaning thoroughly with boiling water and Pine Sol. He stood on a ladder and cleaned while I would wash out the cloth and give it back to him. After three consecutive years of doing this, those sinus infections stopped. I have not had a sinus infection since.

I had a very similar problem...a couple of years after moving into my house I began to "wheeze" a lot, cough and had repeated irritations....I had the ducts cleaned out by a professional. There was a black mold and TONS of dirt up inside the ducts, way beyond reach of any grates.....apparently the ducts had *never* been cleaned since the house had been built 22 years earlier.....one of the worst cases he had seen, he said. I had to get them cleaned a second time a year and a half later, but my coughing/irritation problems stopped not long after the initial clean-out. I told myself the next house will be one that does not have any duct-work in it.....I think they are high-maintenance and unsanitary.

I started coming down with monthly sinus infections. Out of desperation, I had my adult son assist me in cleaning the duct work by removing all the vents and cleaning with boiling water with Pine Sol. Those sinus infections stopped. I did this for about three years straight. I have not had a sinus infection since.

perfect timing for me,too. Thanks. When I mentioned dcut cleaning to my assoc HVAC man, he said to recheck my furnace filter, also the screen type that is washed not replaced, lets a lot of dust particles through vs. the pleated $1.79 type that catches dust and is easily replaceable. Total Cost $1.79 materials- advice $0. These comments have reinforced his opinion.

I have used two vendors over the years. The first didn't know what they were doing, didn't have the right equipment and did a lousy job, The second was the exact opposite. The clue for me was that they cleaned the ductwork in several hospitals.

I also used an air duct cleaner from one of Angie's List's big deals. The workers also sold me and my wife on a mold treatment for extra bucks and didn't do a very good job cleaning the ducts. Also, I found out later and at considerable expense to repair that the workers had destroyed some ductwork in a crawlspace. I really wish Angie's List would do due diligence on companies it recommends for its big deals. I won't use any company offering a big deal any longer as a result.

I had just arranged for a duct cleaning by a company not mentioned here. They told me it'd cost $111.60 and would take "about an hour". So, with the info given here I think it best to cancel the appointment. Your article was helpful to me

A friend who works for a heating/ac company told me you can vacuum most of the dirt/dust from your ducts right at the vent if you have those in the floor. That's were the majority of the dirt settles from your house. It's not the furnace/ac that puts it there. The only time he recommends having professionals do this is if you have a very old house that may have had a coal/oil furnace a t one time or you have had extensive indoor remodling.

David, thanks for the head's up. I have a service from All States Air Duct Pro that I have not scheduled an appointment for yet. Wanted to see some comments like what you posted. I wonder id I can get my money back...

Well this is ironic. The "top-rated" company (All States Air Duct Pro) Angies list recommended in their Big Deals sent up all three of these red flags as soon as they arrived at my home. It didn't take several hours, they insisted on applying biocides to the duct work - which the EPA is very much on the fence about, and they definitely engaged in scare tactics and pressure to get me to sign up for what a mounted to a 5 year service contract. A pretty poor 1st experience, I must say for a highly rated Angies List- endorsed company. The guy didn't even seem very familiar with the types of biocides he would be applying - but he could assure me they were perfectly safe. That was particularly galling. He informed me that it was basically useless to perform the services outlined in the Angie's List coupon without the add-ons and service contract. I was very disappointed in All States Duct cleaning and Angie's list. I'll be much more wary about the Big Deals in the future.

This article would be more helpful if it gave us a clue what the NADCA standards included or a link to those standards. Yes, we can find them, but if you REALLY want to be helpful, help us here. Good advice overall.

Answers

Yes Jupiter. It depends on the severity of the situation, is the mold encapsulated in the insulation. If yes, than replace [insulation] it with new. Is it on the casing of the heater? If yes, clean it with a mold neutralizing metal cleaner. It's not a matter of finding something or someone to clean or address the existing mold. It's a matter of finding a contractor to rectify what is causing the mold grow. It's coming from excessive moisture in the air-handler unit. I can say with 100% surety you’re dealing with poor airflow and/or incorrect equipment sizing! Either issue will cause excessive icing of the evaporator coil, which leads to excessive condensate water in the system. The condensate will eventually overflow the drain pan leaving stagnant water in the air-handler housing, which leads to mold growth. I would not let any contractor do any kind of temporary repair, add any device like a UV light or air-cleaning product until the aforementioned is corrected. I talk a lot about this in my videos and on my website. It is the result of improper system design from unqualified contractors. There is a reason why some guys cost more than others, and this is one reason why!

If the ducts are venting through a window I'm assuming the duct work is all easily accessible. Lowe's and Home Depot sell a cleaning kit that uses an electric drill to spin the brush as it goes through the ductwork. I've found it to work quite well and you can do it yourself. It may take a few passes the first time to get everything out if it has been a while since it was last cleaned. Just make sure you get all of the loose lint out after running the brush through from both ends and you're good to go. Please note that if the line is not hard but rather a flex duct line you can easily puncture a whole in it with this kit and will do better to clean it by hand.

There are varying opinions on the type of cleaning to have done on your air ducts. My opinion is that it varies based on the type of duct work you have. If you have solid material (typically metal) ducting you can have use a company that uses a brush to scrape the system clean. If you have flexible plastic or foil ducts the solvent cleaners are generally a safer bet since the brushes often tear holes in the soft material and/or pull joints loose. It really depends on what type on ducting you have. You're ducts will collect all kinds of dirt, skin cells and allergens over time so if you see dicoloration around your vents it is probably time to get them checked and cleaned.

Also, don't stop at the duct work. Don't forget your annual system check up by a licensed HVAC technician. They'll make sure your system is running at peak performance, keeping it running efficiently and with as little impact as possible on your electric bill. You can often save the cost of the annual tune up in the electricity cost saved. If you have a natural gas system a bi-annual check and cleaning of the HVAC unit may be advisable to save electricity and gas.

Your right, HVAC companies are really not much help at all in regard to getting all the rooms and floors the same temperature, and airflow. It's not their focus or their expertise. They repair and sell hardware. I had the same exact problem here in Central Florida. I had rooms that were to hot in the summer and the same ones were to cold in the colder months. I have a 2 story 2800 sq ft home with 4 bedrooms. I did a lot of research, and I tried to fix it myself, but in reality I made it worse. I finally found a company here in the Central Florida area called AirFlowBalance, LLC. Their web site is AirFlowBalance.com. This company is not an HVAC dealer or repairer. Their sole focus is to balance the airflow and temperature in a home by using a nonevasive proprietary process, with patented devices. Now, when I set my thermometer at 75 degrees, every room is 75 degrees. I no longer have to bump up or down the temp from room to room. No more thermostat wars with my family! Also, I was very supprised at how affordable it was and the whole job was done under 3 hours. They also have an online estimate page on their web site. I hope this helps, and I am not sure if they have an office in AZ.